At the time of writing‚ it was unclear whether any pupils would be admitted as they were still being examined by doctors at St Barnabas Hospital in Ntlaza‚ said health spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha.

The school‚ in Nyandeni village in Libode‚ does not have a hostel‚ but principal Mphakamiswa Mjali said matriculants had spent the past two weeks sleeping at the school as they were attending a review camp to prepare for the upcoming final exams.

He said most of the pupils were girls.

“They had tinned fish and rice for supper‚ and the food was prepared a little earlier while the pupils were still in class‚ and so we suspect that may have been the cause‚ but we cannot be sure.

“In the morning they all started complaining about the same thing and were rushed to hospital by ambulance.”

When the Daily Dispatch arrived‚ doctors and nurses had their hands full trying to attend to the pupils‚ while concerned parents trickled in looking for answers.